Study and comparison of morphometrical characteristics of different population of head lice Pediculus humanus capitis de Geer (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) in south east of Tehran province

Abstract Head lice Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer belongs to heterometablian insects of Phthiraptera and is known as a very serious environmental health pest throughout the world that infests millions of people annually. This study was designed to investigate the morphometric characteristics of different populations of head lice in five countryside’s in south-east of Tehran province. Head lices were sampled from high school girls through autumn 2014 to spring 2015 and preserved in ethanol 70%. Fifteen characteristics were measured for males and females and data were analyzed by ANOVA under 99% confidence level. The means were compared by Duncan mean comparison tool. The results showed that there is high level of variations among the studied populations of head lice in the area and this variation would be due to the high level of genetic variations.